Чума
Part III
Incidentally—nottogiveanythingawayandespeciallynottogivehimselfaway—thisiswhythenarratorhastendedtowardsobjectivity.Hehastriedtochangealmostnothingforartisticends,exceptwhenitcametothebasicrequirementofgivingamoreorlesscoherentaccount.Anditisobjectivityitselfthatrequireshimtosayherethatwhilethegreatestsufferingofthetime,themostwidespreadandthedeepest,wasseparation,andwhileitisnecessaryinallconsciencetogiveanewdescriptionofitatthispointintheplague,itisalsoquitetruethateventhissufferinglostallitspathos.
Didourfellow-citizens,atleastthosewhosufferedthemostfromthisseparation,evergetusedtothesituation?Itwouldnotbequitecorrecttosaythattheydid.Rather,theysufferedakindofspiritualandphysicalemaciation.Atthestartoftheplaguetheyrememberedthepersonwhomtheyhadlostverywellandtheyweresorrytobewithoutthem.Butthoughtheycouldclearlyrecallthefaceandthelaughofthelovedone,andthisorthatdaywhen,aftertheevent,theyrealizedtheyhadbeenhappy,theyfounditveryhardtoimaginewhattheotherpersonmightbedoingatthemomentwhentheyrecalledherorhim,inplaceswhichwerenowsofaraway.Inshort,atthattimetheyhadmemorybutnotenoughimagination.Atthesecondstageoftheplaguethememoryalsowent.Notthattheyhadforgottentheface,but(whichcomestothesamething)ithadlostitsfleshandtheycouldonlyseeitinsidethemselves.
